What to Expect When Your Child Is Teething

Help your child with teething!

Teething is the process in which an infant’s first teeth start to emerge from the gums. Teeth usually emerge between 4 to 7 months old but can occur earlier at 3 months or later between 12 to 14 months. Every child is different and so are their teeth. Don’t worry if their teeth aren’t emerging yet at 3 months, they have time.

Symptoms of Teething and How To Handle Them

Before your child begins teething, its best to understand the symptoms that appear days before the tooth emerges. Here are a few of the most common symptoms. 

Loss of Appetite While Teething

Your infant will refuse to eat or drink because their mouth hurts. Just remain calm and collected and feed your baby gently. They still have to eat, even if they don’t want to.

More Biting and Sucking

To relieve pressure, a teething infant will suck on and bite their toys or fingers more frequently. To counter this, buy your child a gummy teething ring. This way, they can safely relieve the pressure without the danger of germs or choking on a toy.

Excessive Drooling

Drooling is the most common symptom of teething. However, if your baby drools too much, it can cause a mild rash on the chin, neck, and chest. To ensure that your baby’s skin remains rash-free, wipe all the drool you see.

Irritability 

Your baby is going to be irritable while they are teething. With sore gums and emerging teeth, they are bound to be a little fussy. Just give your baby extra cuddles and kisses to let them know that you understand what they are going through!

Difficulty sleeping

Because of the pain and soreness, your baby may find it difficult to sleep. Make sure to supply your baby with a pacifier or teething ring to use before they go to sleep to relieve some pain beforehand.

Fever

It is normal for a teething baby to have a slightly elevated temperature. The fever typically comes from the baby putting their unclean hands in their mouth. If the fever breaches 100.5 degrees, it can become a serious issue and denotes illness or infection.

Here at Paradigm, we specialize in infant care and know how to handle teething. Sign your infant up for daycare today and we will help them when their teeth emerge!